Moroccan Arabic Family Vocabulary (With Pronunciation)
Parents, siblings, and extended family in Moroccan Arabic (Darija) — with pronunciation, so you can introduce your family and understand Moroccans talking about theirs.
Why Family Words Come Up Constantly
Family is central to daily conversation in Morocco — you'll be asked about yours within minutes of meeting someone, and Moroccans talk about theirs constantly. Whether you're visiting in-laws, reconnecting with Moroccan roots, or just making conversation, this vocabulary earns its keep fast.
Immediate Family
| Darija | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| بابا | baba | dad |
| ماما | mama | mom |
| خويا | khoya | my brother |
| ختي | khti | my sister |
| ولد | wld | son / boy |
| بنت | bnt | daughter / girl |
| مرا | mra | wife |
| راجل | rajl | husband |
Extended Family
| Darija | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| جدي | jddi | grandfather |
| جدتي | jddti | grandmother |
| عمي | 3mmi | uncle (father's brother) |
| خالي | khali | uncle (mother's brother) |
| عمتي | 3mmti | aunt (father's sister) |
| خالتي | khalti | aunt (mother's sister) |
| ولد عمي | wld 3mmi | cousin (m) |
| بنت عمي | bnt 3mmi | cousin (f) |
Darija — like the culture around it — makes a clear distinction between your mother's side and your father's side of the family: 3mmi is specifically a paternal uncle, khali a maternal one, and so on. There's no single generic "uncle" word the way English has one — worth keeping straight if you're meeting extended family for the first time.
Introducing Your Family
- hadi mama dyali — this is my mom
- 3ndi jouj khout — I have two siblings
- ana mzawj / ana mzawja — I'm married (m/f)
- 3ndi wld w bnt — I have a son and a daughter
A Note on "My"
You'll notice most of these words already carry a built-in "my" (khoya = my brother, not just "brother"). That's because family terms in Darija are almost always spoken with a possessive — you rarely say the bare word for "brother" without attaching whose brother it is, since context (yours, theirs, a specific person's) matters immediately in conversation.
Practice This Vocabulary for Real
Family words are exactly the kind of vocabulary that sticks fastest when it's personal — practice these with spaced repetition on MocroDarija: create your free account to start with the family deck, or look up any relative in the Darija dictionary. Next time someone asks 3ndek khout? ("do you have siblings?"), you'll answer without missing a beat.